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How often do voters get a real choice rather than two slightly different sides of the same coin? I seem to remember multiple presidential primaries in the US w

How often do voters get a real choice rather than two slightly different sides of the same coin? I seem to remember multiple presidential primaries in the US where progressive candidates get side-lined within the party as either un-electable (long before actually competing at polling stations) or get kicked out due to technicalities meant to steer watered-down right-centrists into the general election. I'm not talking about some right-wing conspiracy, I'm talking about basic mechanics of the electoral process that are unfair at the party level, in media, etc. As one example, I might cite how current candidate Andrew Yang barely gets time to speak at debates while others polling at the same level get 2x or 3x as many minutes to speak. Another example might be the way Bernie Sanders was all but eliminated by backstage machinations in the Democratic party in 2015/2016. How are voters supposed to vote for true progressive candidates who want to change the system in a major way if they cant even compete on an even playing field

magduf 7y ago
>How often do voters get a real choice rather than two slightly different sides of the same coin? The fact that voters don't have much choice is their own fault. It's their job to reform the system if they don't like it. >I seem to remember multiple presidential primaries in the US where progressive candidates get side-lined within the party as either un-electable Again, this is the voters' fault. If they don't like it, they should do more to change it. >How are voters supposed to vote for true progressive candidates who want to change the system in a major way if they cant even compete on an even playing field If the citizens of a country don't like the way the elections are run, it's their job to change it, by whatever means are necessary. That is what it means when I say that every nation has the government it deserves. This applies to every nation (except maybe occupied ones), no matter what kind of government it has. The citizens are the ones who ultimately have the power, so if their government sucks, it's their own fault.

magduf 7y ago

>How often do voters get a real choice rather than two slightly different sides of the same coin? The fact that voters don't have much choice is their own fault. It's their job to reform the system if they don't like it. >I seem to remember multiple presidential primaries in the US where progressive candidates get side-lined within the party as either un-electable Again, this is the voters' fault. If they don't like it, they should do more to change it. >How are voters supposed to vote for true progressive candidates who want to change the system in a major way if they cant even compete on an even playing field If the citizens of a country don't like the way the elections are run, it's their job to change it, by whatever means are necessary. That is what it means when I say that every nation has the government it deserves. This applies to every nation (except maybe occupied ones), no matter what kind of government it has. The citizens are the ones who ultimately have the power, so if their government sucks, it's their own fault.